Staten Island Advance/Bill LyonsA single cash lane open at the Outerbridge Crossing was largely to blame for hours-long holiday traffic at the span. The backup also caused spillover traffic at the Goethals Bridge.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island elected officials plan to put the head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on the hot seat over the lack of staffing Easter Sunday at the Outerbridge Crossing and Goethals Bridge that caused hours-long delays and turned residents' trips back to the borough into a holiday nightmare.

One traveler told the Advance yesterday it took her more than seven hours to drive home from Brick, N.J., via the Outerbridge. The trip normally takes 75 minutes, said New Brighton resident Anita Wadas. Ms. Wadas said only one cash lane was open when she finally reached the toll plaza just before 2 a.m. yesterday.

"It was horrendous," Ms. Wadas said in a telephone interview. "You expect some traffic on a holiday, but a trip that should take an hour and a quarter takes seven hours -- that's ridiculous. We could have driven to New Hampshire in seven hours. I don't know why they had only one person taking tolls."

Motorists told the Advance that traffic was backed up for miles -- from Route 440 all the way down to the Garden State Parkway, to the New Jersey Turnpike.

The massive traffic jam even prevented motorists with E-ZPass from reaching designated lanes.

Requesting a meeting with Ward are City Council members James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn), Debi Rose (D-North Shore) and Vincent Ignizio (R-South Shore), along with Borough President James P. Molinaro, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) and Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn).

"The sad thing is that [Sunday's] travesty was entirely avoidable if proper planning were undertaken," the officials wrote to Ward. "The simple fact is that the cash lanes on both the Outerbridge and the Goethals are a disaster and they have been for some time, which means that proper planning is crucial.

"When you throw into the mix a 'perfect storm' of poor scheduling, a beautiful sunny day and a holiday, you get a situation similar to what occurred [Sunday]. ... This problem destroyed people's holiday."

Oddo, who called the incident an "unacceptable debacle" is asking travelers stuck in the mess to e-mail him at joddo@council.nyc.gov. He plans to share those motorists' experiences with Port Authority officials.

Yesterday, in response to Advance inquiries, the agency issued a statement that read: "The Port Authority apologizes for the disruptions travelers faced. We value our customers and have immediately begun working to address the cause of [Sunday's] backup."

The Port Authority would offer no more than that they have "reached out" to local elected officials about the request for a meeting, but offered no specifics.

Meanwhile, Ward was not available for comment yesterday.

In an e-mail Sunday night to the Advance, a Port Authority spokeswoman said there had been "a brief period" earlier that evening when one cash toll lane was open, which, coupled with holiday traffic, "caused some delays."

She declined to elaborate.

However, motorists who approached the toll booths at different hours said only one collector was on duty. The span has several unmanned E-ZPass lanes.

In an e-mail yesterday to the Advance, motorist Michael A. Biagioli said his Easter was soured by the time it took -- five hours -- to drive his father home from New Jersey to Richmond. The journey normally takes 50 minutes, he wrote, adding he didn't get to his father's residence until 12:30 a.m. yesterday.

"When I finally reached the toll plaza [at the Outerbridge] and found only one cash lane in operation, I was enraged," he wrote. "It was beyond comprehension. I understand that there is holiday traffic, but this was way beyond what should have been expected. The Port Authority definitely dropped the ball on this one, and someone should be held accountable."

Thomas Clarke agreed.

The Tottenville resident said he was stuck in traffic for about an hour trying to exit the Garden State Parkway toward Route 440 and the Outerbridge.

"It was total confusion," he said yesterday.

With cars going nowhere, Clark maneuvered up the parkway to the New Jersey Turnpike and crossed into Staten Island via the Goethals Bridge. Traffic was slow on the Goethals but at least it was moving, said Clarke, whose trip from South Jersey took four hours instead of the usual 60 minutes.

"The havoc they caused is unbelievable," said Clarke. "I think somebody should lose their job over this."